Category: Uncategorized

By Enitan Abdultawab

Wayne Rooney has said Manchester City will hold a psychological advantage over Arsenal in the Premier League title race, citing their experience and composure in crucial moments.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s decisive clash at the Etihad Stadium, the Manchester United legend noted that City’s familiarity with winning titles under Pep Guardiola will definitely give them a mental edge. He explained that Guardiola and his players are better equipped to stay calm under pressure compared to Arsenal’s squad.

“I think City will have the edge on that, just purely the manager and players they’ve got. They will be able to stay a little calmer than the Arsenal players,” said Rooney on his The Wayne Rooney Show.

“They will be worried because when you go on a run and lose a few games, you start thinking ‘Where’s the next goal, the next win going to come from?’ That negative mindset really has an impact on your performance.”

Guardiola’s men moved closer to league leaders Arsenal after they dismantled Chelsea at Stamford Bridge by three goals to nil. They now sit second with six points adrift of Arsenal with a game in hand, which is Sunday’s home hosting of Mikel Arteta’s men.

However, recent setbacks, including their defeat to Bournemouth, have raised concerns about their momentum, especially as City continue to chase fiercely.

Rooney described Sunday’s encounter as a potential “title decider,” suggesting the winner will likely become favourites for the league. He added that even a draw could be valuable for Arsenal but stressed that Arteta’s side must adopt a disciplined and resilient approach.

“Whether the fans like that type of football or not, they have to do anything to stop City winning. They need to be resilient enough to stop City from scoring,” he said.

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Iranian authorities have warned the United States that coming close to the Strait of Hormuz could be disastrous to those it described as ‘enemy nations’.

This comes after the US Central Command announced that it will block all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 10am ET (5:30pm in Iran and 1400 GMT), thereby effectively taking control of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

This action follows President Donald Trump’s previous threat to impose a complete blockade on the strait after the failure of peace negotiations.

The US Central Command stated on X, “The blockade will be enforced without bias against vessels from all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal regions, which includes all Iranian ports located in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.”

The US Navy further clarified that it would “not obstruct freedom of navigation for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”

Trump has pledged to fully blockade the strait, with initial reports suggesting that ships have ceased crossing the waterway, as reported by the Guardian UK.

In the meantime, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have asserted that Iranian security forces maintain complete control over the Strait of Hormuz and have cautioned that adversaries would find themselves ensnared in a “deadly vortex” should they make any “wrong move,” according to Agence France-Presse.

Iran’s navy chief, Shahram Irani, referred to Trump’s threat as “ridiculous and funny,” as reported by state television, and added that the country’s military is “monitoring and supervising all movements” of the US military in the area.

War: ‘You’ll be trapped in deadly vortex’ – Iran warns as US moves to block Strait of Hormuz

U.S. President Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ on his Truth Social platform.

The image shows Trump robed in white and surrounded by radiant light as he appears to perform a healing. Figures resembling angels or soldiers are seen levitating around him, while fighter jets streak across the sky, fireworks explode overhead, and the Statue of Liberty appears in the background.

The post was shared without additional context but comes amid ongoing tensions between Trump and Pope Leo XIV over global conflict and calls for peace.

Trump has recently criticised the pontiff, describing him as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after Pope Leo urged an end to escalating international wars and called for dialogue and restraint.

In earlier remarks, Trump also accused the Pope of holding politically motivated views and questioned his stance on issues including nuclear weapons and U.S. military actions.

Trump has previously shared AI-generated and symbolic religious imagery on social media, which has often drawn public debate.

Although the Vatican has not commented specifically on the image, Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly vowed to continue his anti-war advocacy, insisting that religious language should not be used to justify violence and urging world leaders to pursue peace, dialogue, and restraint in global conflicts.

The AI-generated image adds to a series of controversial posts by the president that have attracted international attention and sparked online discussion.

Trump Posts Himself As Jesus Following Attack On Pope Leo is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday adjourned the scheduled judgment in a suit filed by Rep Leke Abejide until April 14.

Abejide is seeking an order restraining Sen. David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as the African Democratic Congress’s (ADC) national chairman and national secretary, respectively.

The suit fixed for judgment before Justice Musa Liman today could not be delivered since the judge was said to be in another official engagement.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Liman had, on Friday, fixed today for the judgment.

The judge fixed the date after Abejide’s counsel, Ibrahim Idris, SAN, and lawyers to the defence adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the suit.

Abejide, a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of ADC, had instituted the suit.

In the originating summons, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1637/2025 and filed on Feb. 15, 2026, by Idris, the lawmaker sued ADC, Ralph Nwosu, Mark, Aregbesola and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 1st to 5th defendants, respectively.

NAN reports that Nwosu was the former national chairman of ADC who stepped down for Mark, the ex-Senate president.

Abejide, among the eight reliefs, sought an order nullifying Nwosu’s handover or transfer of ADC’s leadership to Mark and Aregbesola as interim national chairman and interim national secretary, respectively, on July 2, 2025, at Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Abuja, for being illegal, unlawful, null and void.

He sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mark and Aregbesola from parading themselves as leaders of the party “as their purported appointment, selection or election was unlawful, illegal, null and void.”

He also sought a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognising Mark and Aregbesola as ADC’s interim national chairman and interim national secretary “as their appointment, selection or election did not meet the requirements of Section 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022″, among other prayers.

The ADC, represented by Shaibu Aruwa, SAN; Nwosu, represented by P. I. Oyewole; Rilwan Okpanachi, who appeared for Mark; Aregbesola’s lawyer, I. R. Abdullahi; and counsel who appeared for INEC, Anthony Onyeri, all prayed the court to dismiss the suit for lacking merit.

ADC, Nwosu, Mark and Aregbesola, in their arguments, submitted that Abejide lacked the legal right to institute the suit.

In their separate preliminary objections, they argued that the subject matter of the suit bordered on the internal affairs of a political party which are non-justiciable.

They added that the court lacked the jurisdiction to delve into such matters.

The defendants also stated that contrary to Abejide’s submission, the Mark-led leadership was elected on July 29, 2025, at the National Executive Committee meeting of the party and not July 2, 2025.

They stated that Abejide had not demonstrated any reasonable cause why the suit should be filed.

The defendants, who urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost in line with Section 83(5) of the Electoral Act, 2026, argued that the matter is academic.

Also in his argument, Onyeri, who appeared for INEC, prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

He said the commission, in its argument, filed an eight-paragraph counteraffidavit with an exhibit marked ‘Exhibit INEC-1’. (NAN)

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The Indigenous People of Biafra has dismissed the Nigerian government’s recently released “terrorism sponsors list,” describing it as misleading and politically motivated.

In a press statement issued on 13 April 2026 by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group said the publication was an attempt to “deceive the public” and undermine its agitation for self-determination.

IPOB, which operates under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, said the list lacked credibility and accused the Nigerian state of hypocrisy in defining terrorism while allegedly failing to address violence against civilians.

The group argued that historical grievances, including past conflicts and alleged rights violations in the South-East, demonstrate what it described as long-standing injustices against the Igbo people.

It further maintained that peaceful advocacy for self-determination should not be equated with terrorism, insisting that it remains a lawful movement in jurisdictions where it operates.

“The struggle for justice, dignity, and self-determination is not a crime,” the statement read in part, adding that attempts to label the movement as terror-related would not deter its activities.

IPOB also alleged that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, continues to face unlawful detention and treatment, describing it as part of a broader effort to suppress dissent.

The group said it would not be intimidated by what it called propaganda or political labelling, insisting that its campaign for Biafra remains “non-negotiable.”

It added that international audiences should disregard what it termed misinformation, arguing that its activities are peaceful and rooted in rights advocacy.

The statement concluded that no amount of official designation or public naming would weaken its resolve, stressing that its agitation would continue “until justice is achieved.”

The post IPOB condemns terrorism sponsors list, describes it as “State-Sponsored Deception” appeared first on Vanguard News.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has teamed up with the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) to

Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and its government is now trying to portray Turkey as one, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday.

Tensions between Turkey and Isrel have steadily escalated since the Gaza war erupted following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, cross‑border attack in Israel.

The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of “possible provocations and sabotage” that could jeopardise an initial ceasefire arrangement in the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Saturday that Israel would continue to confront Tehran and its regional allies.

“After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan said in a televised interview with the state‑run Anadolu news agency.

“We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkey the new enemy,” he said.

“This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he added.

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Immediate past governor of Delta, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has formally declared his interest in contesting the Delta North senatorial election. This comes after he bowed to pressure from various groups, including over 50 high-profile political leaders from the nine local government areas in the zone. They gathered at his residence in Asaba over the weekend […]

Iran has resumed rail services on key routes after repairing sections of track damaged during the war with Israel and the United States, state media said on Monday.

Authorities have in recent days begun reconstruction work on bridges, railway lines and other infrastructure hit during nearly 40 days of fighting.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since Wednesday.

In Iran’s northwestern Azerbaijan region, the director general of the railways said trains had resumed from the city of Tabriz, bound for the capital Tehran and Mashhad in the northeast.

“These trains have resumed service after an interruption of four to five days,” said Alireza Soleimani, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

“The Tehran–Tabriz–Van train also left Tehran for Van, Turkey, last night, using rebuilt tracks.”

A railway bridge near the city of Qom, south of Tehran, also reopened on Saturday after reconstruction work which lasted “less than 40 hours”, said Khosrow Samari, deputy governor in Qom province, according to the Tasnim news agency.

On Friday, Tasnim published video showing a train crossing the Yahya Abad bridge in the city of Kashan, in Iran’s central Isfahan province.

“After rapid reconstruction, the first train passed over the Yahya Abad Bridge today,” the news agency said, claiming the bridge had been targeted in a US-Israeli attack on Tuesday.

In the capital Tehran, residents have reported that authorities have moved quickly to clear debris from sites hit.

Where buildings have been too heavily damaged, they have sometimes been covered or cordoned off, including with Iranian flags.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Sunday that reconstruction of damaged buildings would take between three months and two years.

She added that more than 125,000 buildings had been damaged since the war began, the majority of them residential but also schools, hospitals and other civilian facilities.

AFP

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After a long evening in Lagos traffic, the last thing you probably want to do is scroll through an app, type anything, or think deeply about anything.